The comfortable nature of Chelsea’s FA Cup trip to Hull City allowed Liam Rosenior to hand out a first team debut late in the second half.
Jesse Derry was subbed on for Estevao Willian 77 minutes into what ended up being a 4-0 win for the Blues, as they booked their place in the fifth round.
Pedro Neto’s impressive hat-trick had put the game beyond doubt, and Rosenior decided to bring on Derry as well as Shumaira Mheuka late on.
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Derry has enjoyed a very strong season for the academy, and was rewarded with his first opportunity to feature alongside the first team stars.
Hull City v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round
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Jack Grealish and Rio Ferdinand react to Jesse Derry’s debut
The young winger posted on Instagram after the occasion, saying: “What a night. An absolute honour to make my debut for this massive club.”
A number of Chelsea players, including Reece James and Wesley Fofana, posted it on their own Instagram stories, and a number of other figures from football sent their own congratulations.
Jack Grealish said: “Congrats bro, was top when you came on also”, while Rio Ferdinand stated: “Memory for a lifetime.”
Mheuka referred to the winger as a ‘starboy’, and it looks like there is plenty of faith that this could be the start of something special for Derry at Stamford Bridge.
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Derry deserves more chances at Chelsea
After Jamie Gittens’ unfortunate hamstring injury, a space has opened up in the first team squad for an attacking player to claim.
With Alejandro Garnacho really struggling right now, there is no reason why Derry cannot be named in the first team squad more often from now.
Rosenior is arguably the best manager a young player can dream to have with the first team squad, given how much he has got out of young players from his time at Strasbourg.
The Englishman looked very bright in his cameo against Hull, and will only improve with chances in future games. The Blues are next in action next weekend against Burnley.
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